In many medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures electrical signals are received by or delivered to a patient's body. The interface between medical equipment used in these procedures and the skin of the patient is usually an electrode. The electrode typically includes a conductor which is connected electrically to the medical equipment by one or more wires. Dispersive electrodes used to return the current used in electrosurgery from the body are typically made with two wires attached to respective tabs projecting from the conductor. With some of these electrodes, two conductors, each having a tab and being attached to a separate wire are adhered to a single backing.
A known method of assembling this class of electrodes involves removing the insulation from the end of the wires, and stapling or riveting the wires to the conductor. The connections are then insulated such as by wrapping foam tape around them. Both of these operations are time consuming and labor intensive, increasing the cost of health care. Additionally, if attachment is not done properly, the assembly must be scrapped.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,263 to Seebach et al. discloses a two part connector for providing an electrical connection between an electrode and lead wires. However, these wires are connected to the electrode and the connector with ring terminals which fit over posts on the connector. This increases the cost of parts and labor.